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Trayvon Martin. Sean Bell. Amadou Diallo. Mike Brown. Eric Garner. The list of names of slain Black men, namely due to police misconduct and racial discrimination, seems to be countless. The year 2015 was no exception, with tension between communities of color and the police escalating to the point where the streets of our nation were changed. Nationwide riots, police killing civilians, and civilians killing police "in revenge" seemed to create a marked divide around the concept of equal protection. In many ways, the narrative seemed to focus on Black males as either as the deserving victim, or the obvious culprit.

While scouting for stories that explored the relationships between the police and marginalized communities, I spoke with Marc Abbott. His experience as a Black man and the son of a NYPD officer was a perspective I hadn't considered.

He shared that one day, while his father was on duty, he was shot several times at point blank range. Mark and his brother were young boys when the incident happened, and before they could see their father and check on his condition, they realized they would have a contender for their attention: the media. Mark shared his story as part of the Barbershop Stories Live show, where we were able to see the nuances of when African American men aren't only culprits and victims of the NYPD, but also their fathers and sons.